Television



Oct. 5,1926. 1,602,121

. G. RAMSEY TELEVISION Filed Dec. 5, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet l 22 .3 j d NIP 11 2 G.RAMSEY TELEVI SI 0 Filed Dec. 5. l923 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q I a"? WNVENTOR LSOZJZI' FG.RAMSEY TELEVI 5 ION Filed Dec. 5. 1925 s Sheets-Sheet 5 Oct. 5 1926 IIHMIII Patented Oct. 5, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE RAMSEY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

. TELEVISION.

Application filed-December 5, 1923. Serial No. 678,715.

visual image at the receiving station to cor respond to the light values in the image which is analyzed at the sending station. This composition is brought about by transmitting energy in wave form from the send ing to the receiving stations whereby light values at the receiving station arecontrolled by and simultaneously with the analysis of the light values of the optical image at the sending station.

A general description of one form of apparatus for carrying out this invention comprises a mechanism whereby portions of an optical image are caused to be projected as a spot of light of variable intensity upon a light sensitive electric cell in such manner t that the variations of the light intensity produced by the light anddark portions of the imagecause the electric current flowin through the cell to varyas'the intensity 0 the light varies. Mechanism is provided for transnnttingenergy as corresponding electrical ormagnetic Waves to arece1v1ng sta tion provided with means for receiving said variable wavesor transmitted energy. This energy received at the receiving statlon controlsa beam of light so that the intensity of the beam corres onds to the variations in the energy receive This undulatin light at the receiving station .is translate over an optical plane at the same rate of speed of movement which analyzed the original image at the sending station. and where the transmitted image is to beviewed directly I ,the rate of speed is beyond the persistency of the retina so that a visual replica of the original image is reproduced at the receiving station. I p -More specifically stated, the pre'sent inven} ,tion may be embodied in or carried out as to ing member, such as a disk, a cylinder, a, shutter, .or moving endless belt, which- 1sv one form, by mechanism and apparatus comprising a focusing lens to project andfocus' a-scenethrough a framing screen on a movprovided with a plurality of analyzing open being to carry one 0 )ening at a time across 'the hold and with t e paths of succeeding dill'ereut so that the openings being slightl whole field is covere at a rate of speed faster than the reluctance of the eye. order to avoid loss'of light through interference produced by the side walls of the openings it may be desirable to cover these openings with small lenses which will carry the light through the openings without interference. i

It is desirable to divide up the image into a number of small parts, and this may be accomplished by using a large number of analyzing openings in the analyzing member. Where a large number of analyzing openings are used 'on a disk adouble spiral may be resorted to, and in such case it is necessary to provide a shutter which also carries a continuous spiral opening which is rotated at the proper speed to exposebuta single analyzing opening at a time. Where two, convolutions of analyzing openings are used on the disk then the speedof the shutter shall be on'ehalf the speed of the analyzing disk. It willnow'appear that as an analyzing opening in the analyzing disk sweeps over)theimageprojected thereon by the projecting lens a thin section of the image may be said to be cut by the path of the analyzing opening. "As'this analyzing opening cuts across "the projected image, light passing through the opening Will'vary in accordance with the intensity of the li ht in the cross-section of the image at his point. This light is collected by a condenser ens which is of sufiicient size to cover the entire field exposed through the framing opening, and this condenser lens when assisted by a second or super condenser,brings the rays of light, pa sing any place through the framing opening, down to afpointjof light-which :falls upon photo-electric cell or li ht sensitive cell, which well knownacts as a valve so that greater o less elect tricity will pass through the cell, de ndent 'upon the intensit of the hght fa mg on the cell. The variable electric current thus station and comprises a comp0sing disk or belt with composing openings therein of the same character as the analyzing diskin the sending station. This disk may also beaccompanied by a shutter disk where the composing openings are arranged in a plurality of convolutions. Where a single convolution is used, thena shutter is not needed in eitherthe sending or the receiving apparatus.

The undulating wave energ sent out by the sending station is receive through the wire or by wired wireless, or by w reless apparatus well known in the art of wireless telephony, at the receiving stat1on, where the energy is operative to control an intense beam of lightin such manner that when the received wave is at zero the light from the beam will be zero, and whenthe wave isat its peak or most intense part, then full light beam will betransmitte This may beaccomplished in various ways, one of which is the use of 'a strong electric light which, by means of reflectors and lens, is concentrated- 11 n a mirror mounted for oscillation inhsne manner that the rays of light normally are projected against a screen, but when energy is received at the receiving station the mirror isoscillated by electro-magnetic means in such manner as to throw a 'correspondin amount of light through an opening in t e screen, this undulating light is received,by a dispersion system of lenses which spread the light out over a field equal in size to the o ening in, the framing screen within which t e image is to be composed. The composing member, either disk or belt and its respective shutter, (where a shutter is used is now rotated at such a speed as to ,cause t e composing openings to pass across the framing screen at the same rate of speed and at the same instant of time that the analyzing openings are passing across the framin screen opening at-the sending station. mce the beam of light at the receiving station is controlled in exact accordance with the light which is passing through the anal z'ing openings at the sending station, itwi be observed that the light conditions at the receiving stamotive tion are a replica of the light conditions at the sending station. Preferably the composed image at the receiving station is re ceived upon a condensing lens which cooperates with projecting lenses to throw the composed image upon a suitable screen.

It will be observed that it is desirable that the motive power for driving the analyzing disk shall be chronized with the disk. his synchronization may be accomplished by any of the methods wellknown in the electrical art for synchronizing the motors, and where the sending and receiving stations are substantially near toeach other, synchronous motors operated from the same wer line may be used to attain the desire synchronism. In order to roperlytune the receivi rr instrument wit the sending instrument, t e sending instrument is provided with a source of light, such as an electriclamp, which at all times reduces a"bright s t in a definite part of t espaca through t e framing screen; for example, in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. This fact is known to. the receiver, who adjusts his a paratus in such manner as to locate the bright s ot in the lower righthand corner of t e field ofhis screen. \Vhenthis is done, (assuming the' motors to be synchronized) then all other portions ofthe image will be in their proper relation relative to the sending station. This-framing operation may be accom lished in vari ons ways one of which is t e provision of mechanism whereby the rotative relation ower for driving the composingbetween the driving motor and the analyzing disk is under control of the operator through planetary gears or other suitable mechanism. There are several alternate apparatus which may be utilized in carrymg out my invention; for example, a sliding plate provided with suitable analyzing and composing openings, may be substitutedforthe disks or belts; and the control mechanism for the light beam at the reoeivin station may (omprise a suitably operate shutter like an iris diaphragm or a pair of slidin lates. Another convenient wa ma be by utilizin the principle that larize light is rotated b a magnetic fiel and by arranging the o arizingmeans on one side of the magnetic field relative to an analyzing prism or means on the other side of the field so that under normal conditions no light will vpass through the system, but when the field is magnetized the polarized beam 0f contro mg the light beam at the rece ving station will be rotated into relation to the analyzing crystal or means so that the final beam will 4 numbers of openings in tration, assuming the framing necessary to pose moving objects is analyzed into sections at a and then the receivin which is the same scene is station with yond the re:

great rapidit re-c'omposed h the same rapi ity,

luctance'of the retina of the eye of the observer, so that the scene is recomposed so rapidly that the retina retains the vision of al parts thereof while the composition is taking place. ,Variou's 'sized' openings and the analyzing an beused as the concomposing members may but'by way of illusditions'may determine,

both sending and receivin stations to be one inch square. The analyzing and composin lenses or openings in the-rotating disks she be substantially one inch apart. Assuming the double spirals to contain substantially one hundred and twenty analyzing and composing openings in each disk, and that the entire field of the framing opening is to be covered twenty times per second, it will be rotate the disks at a speed of two thousand four hundred revolutions per minute, or forty revolutions per second. There a sin le spiral is used and no shutter then the ana yzing and composing disk nee to be rotated only twenty times per second,

one thousand two hundred times perminute and this is sufiicient' for, the inajority 0 cases. When this takes place, it will be observed that the image at the sending station is cut or sliced, figuratively speaking, into.

a number of thin sections, and the complete slicing operating of one image takes place in the twentieth of a second so that twenty sliced u images are represented to the retina of t e observer within the period of a second, so therefore the" observerwill not perceive the slicing operation, but will see the complete ima e as a whole.

It is realized t at the present invention ma be carried out and embodied in methods an apparatusother than those herein specificially disclosed without departin from the invention; and, therefore, it is esiredthat the disclosures herewith shall be considered as illustrative and not in the limiting sense. Throughout the several figures of the drawings like characters are used to represent like parts. v,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a sending station and a receiving station with the motors of the two stations connected in a common power circuit.

Figure 2 illustrates the method of linear analysis of an optical image formed in the framing screen at the sen ing station.

Figure 3 illustrates the met 0d of re-comimage projected on the screen at the receiving station. i

Fi ure 4 illustrates one form ofanalyz-- ingz isk.

igure 5 illustrates one form of shutter I opening at magnetic control to be where a plura lity'of eonvoliitions of. analyzing opemngs are used, in'the analyzingoroom 'ng'disk.

Figure 6 i ustrates the of lens over the openings in either or both the analyzing oicomposing disk rays throug theopenings without substantial 1pm.

Figure u ter and the. analyzing to illustrate the operations thereof.

' Figures 8 and 9 illustrate a sliding shutter form of light. control at the receiving station.

' Figure 10 illustrates a polarized light for the beam at the receivingftation. V 1'. eferringto' the drawings and more espccially to Figures 2 and 3 which illustrate X is optically etc. These slices are illustrated as being of substantial thickness, while in practice'the strips or slices are very narrow. The analysis is that ofa pro ressive series, that is, the instant slice a is ished slice l) is 'begun etc., and considered from the standpoint of time, the slices may be understood to be extended end to end as illustrated beside the image X, as slices 1-- 1 -l etc. The light "values of these. linear slices may be considered'to be projected at right angles I to control an electric carrier wave Y'according:

to the line of the slices and to the light values in the adjacent slice. This operation has translated the image into linear optical values, which in turn are translated into linear electrical values. The carrier wave when received at a receiving station is translated into a resultant linear wave Z, that controls the light values inetc., which are strips or slices 2-2"+ used to compose an image W which is a replica of the original image X. i

It is to be understood that the image W at the receiving station, may be v recorded photographica'lly or it may ly or projected upon' a screen.

image W is to be'viewed-directly, the'speed inorder to transmit light 7 is an enlarged'detail fragment A "view through the framing screen, the sh or composing disk be viewed direct- Where the.

of analysis of the whole image X and the composition of the replica image W must be repeated at a speed which exceeds the normal reluctance of the eye. Where the image is to be 'recordedat the receiving station photographically, the speed limits are not so narrow, and the speed of analysis and comosition may be as slow or fast as desire Referrin now to the mechanism illustrated in 51 bodiment of .the invention is'disclosed diagrammatcally, and ,more especially to Figure 1, which illustrates. b0th-tl1e sending and receiving stations, the sending station is 'proe drawings, in which one em- -viaeafwaaaaadjustable 1m 1', which'is simthat the complete liar. to the lens of an ordinar camera, and.

the lenses aref'adapted to he ocused by adjustment in such manner, that an'image 1s formed and the rays thereof are projected in-sub'stantiall parallel lines by means of a suitable con enserllens 2, with all these.

optical members mounted within light tightcasing 3.

This condenser lens is of a suflicientsize to cover the opening '4 ina framing screen 5, which mag be of various sizes, but for the purpose of t present inventiommay be approximately one inch square. An analyzing isk 6v is mounted to rotate back of the opening 4 in the frame screen 5, and in the form illustrated, comprises substantiall two convolutions of analyzing openings therefore, in order to prevent more than one opening being exposed at a time, a shutter disk 8 is provided in which is arranged a narrow spiral opening. This shutter (see Fig. 5), is composed of arc-shaped sections 9, each of which is shown as one half the width of the opening 4 in the framing screen 5, and

a suitable eachof these arc-shaped sections 9 corresp'ond in radius to the radius of the arc oftravel of'a definite opening in theanalyzing disk. The openings 7 in the analyzing disk are preferably covered with'small lenses 10 (Fig. 6), which carry the light rays through the small openings 7 without undue loss of light. The lenses 10 are not absolutely essential, but in some cases may be-desirable.

The analyzing disk 6 is mounted upon a suitableshaft, and the shutter 8 is likewise mounted upon asuitable shaft, and, in the form illustrated, the hollow shaft 11 carries the analyzing disk, while. the shaft 12 extendsthrough'the hollow shaft 11 and carries'the shutter 8. In the form of shutter and disk illustrated it is desirable that the speed of the shutter shall be one half the rotative speed of the disk, and shall be in the same rotative direction as that of the .the shaft 12 whereby the shaft 12 will rotate at one half the speed of shaft 11 and in the same rotative direction.

While the invention has been illustrated as applied to an analyzing unit in which the apertures are arranged-in two convolutions and the arcuate slots of the shutter disc are arranged in one convolution, various numbers of'convolutions of apertures and shutter slots maybe employed with the .same principles of construction and operation. It is necessary that the aperture disc and the shutter disc be rotated at such speeds iral of apertures and the complete spite? of shutter slots are both swept over the exposure space in the same time. Therefore, in order that there may be relative movement between the aper ture disc and the shutter disc, itis necessary that the shutter disc have a smaller number up for the difference in t e distance travelledby the shutter slot and the distance travelled by the aperture while the latter is crossing the exposure space. In the general case, the apertures are spaced apart by an angle equal to d and arranged in n convolutions, which gives the spiral of apertures a total angular ength of 360 n degrees; and the shutter disc is provided with (m -a)" convolutions of slot'sect-ors, where a is a number less than n. The total an lar length of the shutter spiral is there ore, 360 (n-a) degrees. In order that the two spirals may be completely swept over the exposure space in the same .time, the speeds must be directly proportioned to their total lengths. In other words,

Accordingly, the shutter disc is rotated at A second condenser lens 19 is mounted adjacent the disk 6 and in line with the opening 4 in the framing screen. This lens tends to bring the li ht rays passing through the opening 4 in the framing screen substantially to a focus.

focus the rays of light coming throu h the second condenser 19. A photo-electric cell 21 ofa sensitive nature, as is well known.

in the art, "is arranged tn receive-the condensed rays through the third condenser lens 20. Preferably all of the lenses in the entire system are constructed of materials which will absorb the least amount of rays of the character -which are most efl'ective on the photo-electric cell. This photo-electric cell A third condenser lens 20 may be utilized to ;more sharply lOl is illustrated diagrammatically as being connected with an amplifying broad-castin wireless system 22- ofthe character wel cuit supplied by a suitable dynamo 25.

The wave energy sent out by the broadcasting station 22 ,is received at the receiving station 101, which is of any wellknown' form of receivin apparatus usedfor wireless telephony, t ese waves are then transmitted to an electro-magnetic mechanism 102 similar to that used in a-loud speaker for wireless telephony, and the incoming waves which have been amplified, by mechanisms well known in the wireless art, operate to oscillate a suitable mirror 103. This mirror receives the concentrated rays from an ad 'ustable electric lamp 104, which rays may e concentrated by means of adjustable lens 105, so that the rays normally will be thrown upon a screen 106. This screen is provided with an opening 107 adjacent which is arranged a dispersion lens 109 and a condensing lens 110 to make the rays through lens 109 parallel one with another. When elec trical energy is received in the receiving station the mirror 103 is oscillated to throw a proportionate beam of light through the opening 107, that is, for a weak undulation only a small amount of light will be thrown through the opening, and for a strong undulation a full beam will pass through the opening. The light passing through the opening 107 is spread out by the system of lens over an area very slightly greater than the opening 111' in the framing screen 112.

vA composing disk 114 is provided'exactly like the analyzing disk 6 in the sending station, and a shutter disk 115'is also provided like the shutter disk 8 in the sending station. The composing disk and shutter are mounted on the. same type of system of gearing and shafts as used at the sending station and are driven by a, synchronous motor 116, which is illustrated as-being in the same power circuit as the synchronous motor 24, therefore the motor 24 and the motor 116 will be synchronized.

It is also to be understood that the optical apparatus at the receiving station are mounted in a suitable light-tight casing 113.

From the foregoing it will be observed that as an analyzing .opening 7 in the analyzing disk sweeps over the framing open ing 4 in the framing screen 5 any light'passing through the opening 7 will be proportionate to the light transmitted through the projected image and will be alternately greator or less as the image varies in density at the point where the particular opening 7 is cutting across. This li ht falling on the photoelectric cell will pro uce an undulating'wa've I which is sent out'from the sending station. known in the art for broad-casting music or other undulating forms ofwave energy; The shattll is illustrated as being connected to be driven by a synchronous motor 24, Y which is arranged in an electric power cirupon the composin dis that is rotating in s nehronism with t e analyzin disk so that t e variation in light through the composing Openin s, will be exactly in accordance with the variation in light which originally passed throughthe analyzingopenings. Since the speed of the analyzing disk and composing disk is such that the entire space of the framing opening is steadily covered at a speed higher than the normal reluctance of the eye, for example," from sixteen totwenty times per secon the light rays coming through the analyzing disk will compose an image similar to that which was received and anal 'zed at the sending station. 'This compose image at the receiving station maybe projected through a second condenser lens 117 and then through projecting lenses 118 and received upon a screen 119 as a projected image.

' Assuming that the two motors 24 and 116 i are rotatin in synchronism, it may be possible that t e motor at the receivin station maybe started at such time that t e position of the spirals in the sending and receiving disks do not exactly coincide and, therefore, the projectedimage will not be properly framed. In order to assist in framing, a source of light such as a small,

electric, light 38 and a mirror 39 may be provided at the sending station to maintain abrilliant s ot in a definite portion of the opening 4, or example, in the lower right hand corner and the operator at the receivingstation merely needs to adjust his instrum'ent until this brilliant spot 123 assumes its'proper position in'the lower right hand corner when the received image 126 willbe properly framed. It may be desirable at the receiving station to arrange an absorption screen to absorb the brilliant spot so that it will not unpleasantly affect the projected picture; The receiving instrument, therefore, preferably is provided with an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the rotative relation of the analyzing disk and shutter to the rotation of the motor shaft. This may be accomplished by providing a bevel gear 120 on the motor shaft which drives through bevel pinions 121 on an adjustable rotative member 122, and which 7 alyzing'disk and shutter is within the con- "trol of the 0 erator while the device -isin operation. is method of adjustment is 'merely illustrative and any other mechanical device for this purpose may be utilized.

For sending pictures or projected images of scenes which are simple in character, the

reflecting mirror is in most cases most sat- 28 is mounted adjacent the stationary mem- -ber 26 and the shutter is likewise provided with a diamond shape opening 29. This shutter is suitably connected with the electromagnetic apparatus so that normally the openings 27 and 29 do not coinclde,

= but as the electromagnetic device oscillates under an undulating current the openings will be brought vinto greater or less coincidence, from zero to full opening, thereby acting as alight valve to control the amount of light paming through the system.

Another and convenient method of controlling the light beain at the receiving station is based u on Faradays experiment with the effect 0 magnetism upon polarized light and'this form of receiving device comprises a brilliant source of light such as a brilliant electric light 31 mounted in a suitable light-tight tube 32 so that the rays oflight from the source will be concentrated upon a suitable polarizing medium 34 which may be a suitable prism or other olarizer, and arranged so that the rays of fight will pass through a tube of carbon-bisulphide 35, or other suitable medium, around which is arranged suitable conductors 36 so that the tube of liquid will be within a magnetic field when the conductors are suitably energized vfrom. the receiving station. Next in the path of the rays of light isan analyzing member, or crystal, which is so set normally on tlie rays assing through the system and striking t e second 0 stal 37 the other analyzer or polarized lig it will normally be stopped, but 'when 'a magnetic field is produced around the tube of liquid the rotating effect of the magnetic field on the polarized light passing through the tube will proportionately permit light to pass the second analyzing member 37 The rays passing this system are ,focused upon the dispersion lens 109 to be spread out over the area of the composing opening 111 in the framing screen 112. vBy this last men- Q tioned system it will be observed that since the rotation of the polarized light passing through the liquid is proportional to the strength er the ma eat sea, (which a as produced by the un ul'ating current which as been properly amplifie by the receiving apparatus?l the amount of li ht passing through t e system will be. ependent upon the strength of the impulses being received at the particular moment. A light valve is thus roduced in which there are no mechanica moving parts.

The rotating disk, or other analyzing or .composin member may be usedboth to analyze an to compose. A sending station may bearranged on .one side of the disk and a receiving station may be arranged on the other side, both using a common disk and shutter. Under these conditions the same station may be sending and receiving at the same time and in this way the operator may determine how the broad-casting from .his station is progressing or he may be receiving images projected and broadcast from distant stations providing the wave lengths are sufiiciently different from those being sent out from 1118 own station. While a distant scene, a rotating disk provided,

with analyzing openings arranged in a spiral having a plurality of convolutions, a shutter constructed to expose a single opening at a time in such manner that the rays of light from said image will pass through said openings one at a time as a substantiall continuous beam of light, and light sensitive electrically controlled means'adapted to vary an electrical current in proportion to the successive light values in said beam.

2. In an apparatus of the class described an optical analyzing unit comprising, a rotating disc provided with a plurality of convolutions of openings arranged to sweep over an image, and means to prevent exposure of the image to more than one opening at anyone time.

3. In an apparatus of the class described an optical analyzing unit comprising, a rotating disc provided with a series of apertures arranged in more than one convolution to sweep over an image, and means to cause the apertures to sweep over the image, one after another from the beginning to the end of the series.

4. In an apparatus of the class described an optical analyzing unit'comprising, a disc provided with a series of apertures arranged intwo convolutions and spaced apart by a distance equal to the width of the image to be analyzed, a shutter disc provided with a. series of arcuate slots each of length equal to half the distance between adjacent apertures, and means to rotate the shutter disc atone speed and the apertured disc at twice that speed.

5. In a device of the class described, a

moving member provided with an opening adapted to sweep over an image, and a pair of lenses attached to said moving memher, one of said lenses being positioned on each side of said opening.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, an optical analyzing unit comprising a disc provided with a series of apertures spaced apart by angle d and arranged in n eonrelations, a shutter disc provided with (na) ronvolutions of areuate slots, each slot subtending an angle. of

and means to rotate the apertured disc at one speed and the shutter d sc at ings spaced apart by an angular distance as equal to the angular width of the image to be analyzed, a shutter disc provided with a series of arcuate slots, and means to rot-ate the shutter disc at one speed and the perforated disc at a difl erent speed and in the same direction as the shutter disc, whereby the image is scanned in a series of areuate paths one following another.

GEORGE RAMSEY. 

